Waterford will play host to a celebration of classic and historic rallying next week as the Déjà Vu Waterford 2025 takes place on 11th October, with 145 cars set to take part. Among the entries is a healthy number from the South East, including some of Irish rallying’s most celebrated names.
One of the standout entries is Marie Moloney and co-driver Catherine Tracey, who will be reunited with the Opel marque that made them famous. Dungarvan’s first lady of rallying, Marie Moloney, began her career at just 19 as the youngest member of the Dealer Opel Team Ireland (DOTI). Together with Catherine Tracey, she won multiple Tarmac Championship classes and three Ladies Championships, competing across seven Circuits of Ireland. Marie also represented Ireland internationally in Rally Cyprus alongside Frank Meagher.
During her early career in the 1980s, Moloney regularly competed with Tracey in Opel cars, including the iconic rear-wheel-drive Kadett GT/E and the front-wheel-drive Kadett 1.3 SR. She finished 32nd overall on the 1984 Rothmans Circuit of Ireland in an Opel Corsa SR. Returning to the stages in 1992 in a Lotus Ford Cortina, she narrowly missed a top-ten finish in the Historic Circuit of Ireland.
Déjà Vu Waterford is a “rally that’s not a rally.” While the event features a start and finish arch, a rally road book, and a commentator, there are no stopwatches. The non-competitive run allows beautifully prepared classic cars and their crews to navigate the historic Waterford Circuit of Ireland stages from the 1980s in a moving celebration of Irish motorsport history.
The weekend programme includes a Road Run, Welcome Reception, Gala Dinner, and a Cars and Coffee farewell in Dungarvan town centre. Proceeds from the event will support Dungarvan Palliative Care Unit, assisting those facing life-limiting illnesses, and the Craig Breen Foundation, which helps young Irish rally drivers in memory of the late Waterford rally star Craig Breen.
The epicentre of the three-day festival is the Park Hotel in Dungarvan, with registration and the Welcome Reception taking place on Friday 10th October. Saturday 11th sees the 150-mile run over coastal and mountainous stages, including the Copper Coast and the Knockmealdown Mountains, with a lunch halt at Mount Congreve for public viewing. Saturday evening’s Gala Dinner features entertainment, interviews, videos, and a charity auction, while Sunday morning rounds off the festival with a farewell Cars and Coffee event in Dungarvan Square.
The route has been compiled by Frank Scanlon and Pat Scanlon, who have deep ties to the Ulster Automobile Club and the historic planning of the Circuit of Ireland in the 1980s.
Déjà Vu Waterford 2025 is the 12th in this series of rally reunions organised by RPM Déjà Motorsport Ltd, whose volunteers have raised over €375,000 for local charities to date.
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